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Amazon.co.uk Review
The film's failures must be laid at the feet of writer, director and producer Robert Rossen, who never before or after helmed anything remotely on this scale; his best work would follow with the intimate The Hustler (1961). Rossen simply shows little sensibility for the epic, staging lavish but brief and rather pedestrian battles and somehow drawing from the usually mesmerising Burton a performance lacking the charisma essential to a great military commander. Burton fans can enjoy him at his epic best as Marc Anthony in Cleopatra (1963).
On the DVD: Alexander the Great is presented anamorphically enhanced at 2.35:1, although the picture is still obviously cropped at either side of the screen throughout. The print is very variable, in places quite grainy and soft with some serious flickering blotchiness, but otherwise it has strong colours, detail and contrast. The sound is primitive stereo. The only extra is the theatrical trailer, effectively presented in anamorphic 2.35:1. --Gary S. Dalkin
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Customer Reviews
For people who know very little of Alexander this is worth every penny.
A great film to watch when you have a spare 2 hours a lot of people complain about this movie but they obviously jumped on the bandwagon on that subject
How ever don't watch the new Alexander film with Colin Farrell watch this instead.
I'm hoping someday they will bring a special edition of this film out but until then I'm happy with the DVD I have.
Written, directed and produced by Robert Rossen, it has some excellent dialogue, overall fine acting, and of course, battle sequences with 1001 extras. There is also quite a bit of "beefcake", but not many who are ready for the bare chest exposure, including Burton, whose abs are almost absent, and many of the extras are flabby and rotund, and hard to imagine are warriors.
Shot on location in Spain, the cinematography by Robert Krasner, in typical '50s vibrant Technicolor, is wonderful. Claire Bloom is beautiful as Barsine, a dark and hairy, savage and quite unrecognizable Frederick March is terrific as Philip of Macedon, Harry Andrews is a good Darius, and Danielle Darrieux is Alexander's crafty mother. Others of note in the cast are Stanley Baker as Attalus, and Peter Cushing as Memnon.
Though flawed, this is a film that can be viewed repeatedly, for its well written scenes, Burton's acting, and a smattering of history as well, which though condensed and altered to fit the Hollywood format, has some basis in truth; it is also fascinating to note that if one listens carefully, one will hear things reminiscent of recent news stories; history seems to be a wheel that is ever turning, and for the brief time that Alexander was in power, he would say "The world is my domain, and it is my mission is to rule it and rebuild it".
Total running time is 136 minutes, and the DVD extra is the original theatrical trailer.
Sadly in today's world of "Blockbuster" movies action & blood are the main reason for what constitutes a "Success"
Richard Burton was a great choice to be Alexander he had it every way Looks Charm & most of all acting ability which is 90% of any film, the use of light & colour which is a trade mark of the 1950's & 60's make it all the more enjoyable, " perhaps I am just nostalgic" but its films like this what make it as I call it a Golden era.
Lets be glad they existed & can still be enjoyed all those years after.
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